Ironing stand



Oct. 13, 1953 Filed Sept. 26, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l J. H. w. LEWIS IRONING STAND Oct. 13, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1950 e @YWN \NvE N-rom n WQHQY ATTvs.

John He Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE IRONING STAND John Henry Walter Lewis, Chaldon, near Caterham, England 7 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in and relating to ironing stands of the kind. comprising an ironing top and a foldable supporting structure movably connected with the ironing top and movable between an unfolded condition in which it supports the top in the position for ironing and a folded condition in which the parts thereof lie close to the top for convenience in stowing the stand.

In the specification of my earlier U. S. A. application Serial No. 783,870, now Patent No. 2,609,626, granted September 9, 1952, there is described an ironing stand of the kind referred to above in which provision is made for retaining the iron in a predetermined position on the stand when not in use so that it may conveniently be stowed away with the folded stand, and for ensuring that folding of the stand in preparation for stowing cannot be carried out until the iron retaining means has been made to take the retaining position.

The present invention consists in a folding ironing stand comprising an ironing top and a foldable supporting structure movably connected with the ironing top and movable between an unfolded condition in which it supports the top in the position for ironing and a folded condition in which the parts thereof lie close to the top for convenience in stowing the stand, a retaining device mounted on the stand for move- F ment thereon between a first non-retaining position and a second retainin position in which it effects retention of an iron mounted in a predetermined position on the stand and means for moving said retaining device from the non-re- I" taining into the retaining position by relative movement between the ironing top and the supporting structure with the latter unfolded.

In the preferred arrangement the foldable supporting structure is pivotally connected to the underside of the ironing top and the movement of the retaining device is effected by a tilting movement of the ironing top relative to the supporting structure as the operation of folding the stand is commenced.

With a folding stand as described above, the iron when placed in a predetermined position on the stand after use, is automatically fixed to the stand in that predetermined position when the operation of folding the stand is commenced and the risk of inadvertent falling of the iron from the stand is avoided and without the need for any special iron fixing manipulation on the part of the user.

Biasing means such as a spring may be employed to hold the iron retaining device in the retaining position. Preferably however the arrangement is such that in the folded condition of the stand the retaining device is disposed relative to another part of the stand in such manner as to positively prevent movement of the retaining device from the retaining position whilst the stand remains in that folded condition so that the iron cannot be removed from the folded stand.

The invention is particularly suitable for use with a cordless iron in which closing of the heating circuit of the iron is effected by the engagement of terminals on the iron with complementary terminals in a junction box fixed on the stand, in the intervals between ironing, the box being connected through a suitable lead with the electric supply circuit so that when in use there is no trailing lead connected with the iron.

In such a case the movable retaining device may function to maintain the connection between the plug and socket or like terminals of the iron and the junction box fixed on the stand, and the retaining device and the plug and socket or like connection function in conjunction to retain the iron in fixed position on the stand.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings as applied to a foldable stand for use with a cordless iron.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved stand.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the stand in the unfolded condition for use.

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of a part of the top of the stand taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end sectional elevation taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an end sectional elevation taken on the line V-V of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a part of the top of the stand on the same scale as Figs. 4 and 5, and

Fig. 7 is a View of the stand folded and looking at the underside of the top.

Referring to the drawings, the stand comprises a fiat ironing top I formed for example of a metal sheet of elongated general rectangular form, tapering in Width at one end as shown at 2, Fig. 2, which end will be referred to as the forward end, and provided with a downwardly directed stiffening edge flange 3, and covered upon the upper surface with a layer of felt surmounted in use by a fabric sheet 38.

The stand further comprises a folding supporting structure formed by a first frame 4 formed by a pair of downwardly divergent legs 5 connected at the lower ends by a cross-bar 6 (Fig. 2) and hingedly connected at their upper ends to lugs I bent from a reinforcing plate 8 connected to the underside of the top I (Fig. 5) near the end thereof remote from the forward end 2 and hereinafter called the rear end, so that said first frame 4 is movable about a pivotal axis extending transverse of the ironing top I, and a second frame 9 formed by a pair of downwardly divergent legs I connected at their upper and lower ends by cross-bars II and I2, said second frame 9 being disposed within the first frame 4 and pivotally connected thereto as shown at I3 in Fig. 1. To the lower cross-bar 6 of the first frame 4 and the upper cross-bar I I of the second frame 9 are pivotally connected the ends of a telescopic strut I4.

The two frames 4 and 9 are relatively movable about the pivots I3 between an unfolded position as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and as determined by the shortest length of the telescopic strut I4, in which the top I, connected with the first frame 4 at the pivots I, rests in a usually horizontal position for use, upon the cross-bar II at the upper end of the second frame 9 as shown in dotted lines at I in Fig. 1, and a folded position in'which they lie in a, substantially common plane and so that the top I may be folded down about the pivots to a position close to the folded frames 4 and 9;

In Fig. 11 the frames are shown in dotted lines almost fully folded at 4 and 9' and the ironing top is shown in dotted lines at I" approaching its fully folded position against the folded frames.

At the rear endof the top I and behind the pivotal axis of connection of the first frame 4' thereto, is formed adepression or recess I5 of a shape and size to accommodate at least a part of the face of the sole plate of a cordless iron I6, the bottom of said recess I5 being arranged at a small downward inclination to the surface of the ironing top I and starting from the plane of the ironing top I; so that the iron I6 may be placed in position in said recess by an extension of a normal-sliding movement of the iron, such as is made during the operation of ironing, in one direction on the ironing top I.

A roller II, Fig. 2 may be provided at the higher or entry end of said recess to facilitate movement of the iron I6 and the arrangement is such that the iron when not in use rests in the recess with its forward end projecting above the surface of the ironing top I adjacent the recess as shown in Fig. I and is normally retained in position in the recess I5 by gravity when the stand is in the condition for use.

On the ironing top I at the rear of the recess I5 is fixedly mounted an electrical socket I8 adapted to be connected through a suitable lead I9 witha source of current and to receive, when the cordless iron I6 is placed in said recess I5, plug pins in circuit with the iron heating element and projecting in known manner from the rear end of the iron.

In accordance with the present invention a transverse slot 20 is formed in the ironing top I in front of the recess I5 therein and beneath the top I- is pivotally mounted a hook-ended lever 2| having a finger piece 22 on its extremity, this lever 2| being arranged for movement in said slot 20 between two positions in one of which it lies, with the exception of the finger piece 22, below the level of the upper surface of the ironing top I as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and in the other of which it projects above the top I and extends with the hook portion 23 engaged over the forward end of an iron I 6, or of the sole plate thereof, resting in the recess I5.

In the case of a cordless iron as illustrated, the plug terminals of the iron resting in the recess I5 are engaged in the electrical socket I8 fixed to the top I and the hooked lever 2 I' when engaged with the iron as described above prevents disengagement of the plugs on the iron from the socket ls on the top I, and the lever 2| in conjunction with said plug and socket connection prevent detachment or removal of the iron from the recess I5.

The hook-ended lever 2| is fixedly mounted upon a movable transmission member formed by a rotatable rod 24, this rod 24 extending longitudinally of the centre of the underside of the top I, being housed in a channel section stiffening rib 25 fixed beneath the top I, and rotatable in bearings formed by lugs 26 at the ends of said hollow rib 25, and being of a length to extend beyond the upper end of the second frame 9 of the foldable supporting structure when the latter is in the unfolded condition.

'Atension spring 21 is provided between a fixed anchorage 2 3 beneath the top I and the end of the hook-ended lever 2| remote from the hook 23, the arrangement being such that the lever 2| is moved into, and retained in either of, its extreme positions as shown in full and dotted lines resp'e'c tively in Fig. 5, as the spring takes a position on oneside or the other of the dead centre as represented by the axis of the rod 24.

The upper cross-bar II of the second frame 9 on which the ironing top' rests when in use, is formed by a fiat metal strip bent' at its ends to form lugs 29 fixedly connected with the ends of the legs I0 of frame 9 (Fig. 4), and this metal strip is also bent at its centre to form a channel or recess 30 of a size to receive and locate the channelsection stiffening rib 25 on the underside of the ironing top I when the latter is in the position for use.

On the rotatable rod 24 at a point in register with the recess 30 in cross bar II when the stand isunfoldedfor use, is fixed a projection in a form of a radially projecting pin 3|; the end of this pin extending through a slot 32' formed in the walls of the channel section reinforcing rib 25' attached to the underside of the top I.

One edge ofthe cross-bar I I is cutaway at one end e. g. the forward end in the case illustrated,- of the recess 30 to provide a. space or slot 33 for the passage of the end ofthe pin 3|, the ends of the space or slot being formed by longitudinally extending edges 34 and 35 at opposite sides of the recess 30 (Fig. 4) and one of those edges, namely the edge 35, being spaced from the axis of the rod 24 by a distance which is less than the length of the pin 3|.

The operation is as follows:

Assuming the stand to be out of use and in the folded condition with the iron I6 held in position inthe recess I5 in the ironing top by engagement of the hook ended lever 2| with the end of the iron, as shown in full lines in Figs. 5 and 6 To bring the stand into use the top I is moved about the pivots in lugs I on the frame 4 of the folded supporting structure, to an approximately horizontal position such as that shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and the frame 9 moved about the hinged connection I3 with the frame 4' to draw it into the required position relative to frame 4 as determined by the maximum degree of contraction permitted to the telescopic strut I4, all as shown in full lines in Fig. l.

The top I may now be lowered about the pivots in lugs I until its forward end rests upon the upper end of the frame 9.

With the lever 2| in the iron-retaining position as described above, the position of the rotatable rod 24 carrying the lever 2| is such that the pin 3| on the rod 24 extends in a general direction away from the underside of the top I.

As the top I is lowered into the position in which it rests upon the upper end of the frame 9 the channel section reinforcing rib 25 beneath the top I enters into the central recess 30 in the cross-bar I I at the upper end of the frame 9, and the position of the edge 34 at one end of the space at the forward end of the recess 30 is such that the end of the pin 3| passes freely into the space without disturbance of the pin.

The electrical lead I9 is connected with the current source, and to withdraw the iron I6 from the recess I5 for use, the lever 2| forming the iron-retaining device is thrown over by hand by means of the finger piece 22, to the position shown in dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6, in which it is disengaged from the iron and disposed for the main part below the slot 20 in the ironing top. This iron-releasing movement of the lever 2| involves rotation of the rod 24 on which the lever is fixedly mounted, and as a consequence the pin 3| fixed to the rod 24 is moved from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 to the position shown in dotted lines in that figure in which it extends beneath the other edge 35 of the space at the end of the recess 3|] in the cross-bar II of frame 9. The lever 2|, rod 24 and pin 3| are retained in this position by the spring 21.

The operation of ironing may now be proceeded with in the usual manner, the iron being slid into position in the recess I5 between operations and connection made between the plug terminals on the iron and the socket I8 on the top I to close the iron heating circuit.

When the work has been completed and the stand and iron are to be stowed away, the lead I9 is disconnected from the current source and suitably coiled on the stand e. g. by coiling it about a pair of clips 36 provided on the ironing top I and the iron I6 replaced in the recess I5, with the terminals on the iron engaged in the socket member I8.

The retaining device or lever 2| may now be rocked by hand, using the finger piece 22 accessible from above the top I to cause it to take the iron-retaining position as shown in full lines in Fig. 5 in which the iron is held fixed to the top I.

Alternatively, if the stand is to be folded, the top I must first be tilted to raise its forward end through a small angle about the pivots in lugs I, relative to the folding supporting structure comprising the frames 4 and 9, before the latter can be folded.

During this preliminary tilting movement of the top I, the reinforcing channel section rib 25 beneath the top I is withdrawn from the recess 30 in the cross-bar II at the upper end of the frame 9 and the pin 3| is drawn across the edge 35 at one side of the space at the forward end of the recess 35! in such a manner as to cause rotation of the rod 24 and therefore rock ing of the lever 2| from the non-retaining position to the iron retaining position, the final part of this movement being achieved with a snap action under the pull of the spring 21.

The frames 4 and 9 of the foldable supporting structure may now be folded fiat and the top I then lowered about the pivots in lugs I to a position close to the folded frames 4 and 9, the iron I5 being retained, by the lever 2| in conjunction with the engaging terminal plugs on the iron in the socket member I8 on the top I, safely and firmly in position in the depression I5, in which condition the stand and the iron can be stowed away.

When the stand is in the fully folded position the frames 4 and 9 and the telescopic strut I4 lie in a common plane and the top I lies close against the parts 4, 9 and I4, and a clip such as a pair of spring arms 31 carried upon the underside of the ironing top, may be arranged to engage and grip the strut I4 as shown in Fig. 7 to prevent inadvertent folding of the stand.

In this position the strut extends along and close to the underside of the reinforcing rib 25 and the end of the pin 3| projecting from the slot in said reinforcing rib lies at one side of and close to the strut I4 as shown in Fig. 7 so that movement thereof such as to permit the rod 24 to rotate and the iron-retaining lever 2| to move from the retaining to the non-retaining position is effectively prevented whilst the stand remains folded.

I claim:

1. A folding ironing stand comprising an ironing top and a foldable supporting structure 'movably connected with the ironing top and movable between an unfolded condition in which it supports the top in the position for ironing and a folded condition in which the parts thereof lie close to the top for convenience in stowing the stand, a retaining device mounted on the stand for movement thereon between a first nonretaining position, and a second retaining position in which it effects retention of an iron mounted in a pre-determined position on the stand and means for moving said retaining device from the non-retaining into the retaining position by relative movement between the ironing top and the supporting structure with the latter unfolded.

2. A folding ironing stand comprising an ironing top and a foldable supporting structure pivotally connected to the underside of the ironing top and movable about said pivotal connection so that when in an unfolded condition of the supporting structure the ironing top may be supported by the structure in the position for ironing, and when in the folded condition the parts of the structure may lie approximately parallel and close to the underside of the ironing top for convenience in stowing the stand, a retaining device mounted on the stand for movement thereon between a first, non-retaining, position, and a second, retaining, position in which it effects retention of an iron mounted in a predetermined position on the stand and means for moving said retaining device from the said first non-retaining, position into said second, retaining, position by relative movement between the ironing top and the foldable supporting structure about said pivotal connection, with the supporting structure unfolded.

3. A folding ironing stand as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for moving said retaining device from the non-retaining into the retaining position includes a movable transmission member carrying said retaining device and itself carried by the ironing top, and a projection on said transmission member adapted, when the stand is in the unfolded condition for use and with the retaining device in the non-rctaining position, to take a position relative to a part of the foldable supporting structure such that upon moving the ironing top relative to the supporting structure, the said projection is engaged and moved by said part of the foldable supporting structure to move the transmission member and the retaining member into the retaining position.

4. A folding ironing stand according to claim 1, including bearings beneath said ironing top, and iron-retaining device in the form of a lever so formed and disposed in the retaining position', as to embrace an iron in a predetermined position on said ironing top, a rod rotatable in said bearings on the underside of said ironing top and carrying said lever for movement therewith, and a spring adapted to bias said rod into either one of two positions on opposite sides of a dead centre position and corresponding to the retaining and non-retaining positions of said lever.

5. A folding ironing stand according to claim 1, including a foldable supporting structure comprising a first frame pivoted at one of its ends to the underside of the ironing top, a second frame pivoted intermediate its ends to the first frame so that the two frames may be disposed substantially in a common plane, a cross-bar at the end of the said second frame adapted to engage the ironing top in the unfolded condition of the stand, and means for moving the iron-retaining device from the non-retaining to the retaining position said last means including a movable transmission member carrying the iron-retaining device and itself carried by the ironing top, and a projection from said movable transmission member taking a position relative to said cross-bar, in the unfolded condition of the stand and with the retaining device in the non-retaining position, so as to be engaged and moved by said cross-bar when the ironing top is moved with respect to the supporting structure, with the latter unfolded.

6. A folding ironing stand comprising an ironing top and a folding supporting structure movably connected with the ironing top and movable between an unfolded condition in which it"supports the top in the position for ironing andta folded condition in which the parts thereof lie close to the top for convenience in stowing the stand, a retaining device mounted on the stand for movement thereon between a first nonretaining position, and a second retaining position, in which it effects retention of an iron mounted in a predetermined position on the stand, means operatively engaging said re"- taining device for moving said retaining device from the non-retaining into the retaining position' by relative movement between the ironing top and the supporting structure, with the latter unfolded, and a projection on said means, taking a position against a part of the stand, while the latter remains in the folded condition, such that said projection, said means"; and the retaining device are prevented from movement from the iron-retaining position while the stand remains in the folded condition.

7. A folding ironing stand according to claim- 1, for use with a cordless iron, including a longitudinally disposed electrical separable connection device mounted on the stand for engagement with a complementary electrical separable connection device at one end of an iron, an ironretaining device on the stand; so formed and disposed when in the retaining position as to engage an iron in a predetermined position on the ironing top and to maintain the complementary connection devices in engagement between the iron and the stand, so that the iron is held in position on the ironing top by the co-operative effect of the retaining device and the complementary electrical connection devices.

JOHN HENRY WALTER LEWIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,277,912 Greenup Sept. 3, 1918 1,784,959 Danielson Dec. 16, 1930 2,460,044 Tomey Jan. 25, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 132,998 Germany July 30, 1902 

